Visiting USA

San Francisco

Trains from San Francisco to Oakland are a quick and easy way to get from one major Bay Area city to the other when you are visiting the USA.

The train service that runs between the cities is called the Bay Area Rapid Transit, or BART. BART trains depart from multiple underground stations throughout downtown San Francisco and arrive at a number of locations in Oakland. You can also take BART trains from San Francisco to Oakland Airport if your flight departs from there.

There are several different BART lines that run from San Francisco to Oakland. Depending on your final destination, you will want to take a Fremont train, a Pittsburg/Bay Point train, or a Dublin/Pleasonton train. There are maps online and in the stations to help you determine which line to take.

Tickets for trains from San Francisco to Oakland vary in price depending on which station you depart from and which one you arrive at. For example, if you travel from Embarcadero Station to 12th Street Oakland City Center Station, a ticket costs $3.10 one-way. The journey time on this route is 10 minutes.

San Francisco

Trains from San Francisco to San Jose are a great way to get between the two California cities using public transportation.

Trains are operated by Caltrain. They run seven days a week from the train station at 700 4th Street in San Francisco’s SoMa district. They arrive at the San Jose train station, which is located at 65 Cahill Street.

Trains run from 4:55am until 12:01am on weekdays, with up to five departures an hour. On the weekends there is a reduced schedule, with trains operating between 8:15am and 12:01am on Saturdays and 8:15am and 9:15pm on Sundays.

Some trains are express trains that stop only at four or five stations between San Francisco and San Jose. Others are local trains that stop at all stations along the way.

The travel time on trains from San Francisco to San Jose ranges from 57 minutes for trains with the least number of stops to 1 hour and 31 minutes for trains that stop at every station between the two cities.

Tickets cost $8.75 one-way or $17.50 for an all day ticket that allows unlimited travel to any station in zones 1 to 4. Discounts are available for children under 18, seniors over 65, disabled passengers, and Medicare cardholders.

You can buy tickets for trains from San Francisco to San Jose at the train station. There are ticket machines there that accept cash, credit cards, and Visa and Mastercard debit cards.

Air Train

Trains from JFK Airport to Manhattan are a convenient and inexpensive way to get from your flight’s arrival gate to New York City. The process is a simple one that you can complete in two steps.

The first step is to follow signs in JFK Airport to the AirTrain once your flight has landed. When you arrive at the AirTrain platform, board a train to Jamaica station. You do not need to buy a ticket before you get on the train, as ticket machines are located at Jamaica station.

After you alight at Jamaica, you will start with the second step of taking the train from JFK Airport to Manhattan. Pay $5 for the AirTrain when you arrive at the station, and purchase a ticket for the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR). This will be your next mode of transportation to Manhattan.

The cost of a ticket for the the LIRR is $8 for adults at peak times, and $6.75 at off-peak times. Discounts are available for children and seniors. Cash and credit cards are both accepted at the ticket machines.

The Long Island Rail Road train to Manhattan will take you from Jamaica station all the way to Penn Station in midtown Manhattan. From there you can connect to subway lines A, C, and E, as well as buses, taxis, and other modes of transport to get to your final destination in New York City.

The total journey time on trains from JFK Airport to Manhattan is around 50 minutes, with the AirTrain taking 15 minutes and the LIRR taking 35 minutes. The travel time can be longer depending on how long you have to wait for the trains to arrive and at which terminal you board the AirTrain.